Illuminated sigh



J. HOTCHNER. ILLUMINATED SIGN.

APPLICATIONFILED 0m. 19. 1914.

1,315,187. PatentedSept. 2,1919.

5' 7 WITNESSES: IN VEN TOR. J. H otc h I181",

afi.flM- I r BY WM avid,

JOSEPH HOTCHNER, 01? SAN CISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ILLUIVJIINATED SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented dept. 2, ram.

Application filed October 19, 191%. Serial No. $614115.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn Horonnnn, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco, State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Illuminated Sign, of whichthe following is a specification in such full and clear terms as willenable those skilled in the art to construct and use the same.

This invention relates to an illuminated sign of the type known as atransparency and its object is to provide means whereby the sidewalk andstore front may be adequately illuminated, without at the same timedestroying the effect of the sign.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that transparenciesare not as brightly illuminated as signs having outside lights, so thatit outside lights are. used to illuminate the sidewalk they kill theedect of the transparency. Therefore, in. order to effectuallyilluminate the sidewalk it becomes necessary to conceal the sidewalklights from the person looking at the sign from a distance.

. Another object ofthe invention is to make a double use of thereflector used in such signs, one side reflecting the light throu h theletters while the other side reflects t e light to the street from otherlamps.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing in which the samereference til numeral is applied to the same portion throughout, but Iam aware that there are many modifications thereof.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a letter constructed in accordance withthis invention,

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionalview of the letter on the line 22 Fig. 1looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 3 is a view in section or a modified form of the invention in whicha secondary sign is suspended from the first sign.

The numeral 1 represents one side of a box si body and 2 the oppositeside thereof, said body being commonly constructed of sheet metal. Theletter is out out of the metal sides and a plate of translucent material3 is placed in position inside the sign body, clips 4 secured to theinside of the sign body holding the plates in place.

Connected with the bottom of the side pieces are two reflectors 5 and 6which direct the light from the lamp 7 supported by the socket 8 throughthe "plates 3:. The reflectors are suitably painted within. and Withoutto reflect the light and between them is placed a lamp 9 supported bythe socket 10.

The socket 10 is secured to the underside of the top of the reflectorsand each socket is connected with a suitable source of electric currentsupply to illuminate the several lamps of which there may be any desirednumber. llt will be seen that as the lamp 9 is placed between the tworeflectors 5 and 6 that it cannot be seen at some distance from thesign, while the angle of the re flectors can be varied to illuminate aswide a placeon the sidewalk as may be desired.

It will also be seen that no matter how brilliant the sidewalkillumination is there will be practically no loss of efiect in thetransparency.

It will. be understood by those familiar with the sign business thatwhen a sign is ordered that the person purchasing the same often desiresto add a line giving some other feature in connection with. his place ofbusiness other than that which he originally delineated upon the signand this, the sign illustrated in Fig. 3, is especially adapted for thatpurpose.

In this form of the invention the sign body 15 is substantially the sameas the sign. body shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and it is provided with twocharacters 16 and 16 which are illuminated by means of the lamp 17placed within the sign body. At the bottom of the sign body there aretwo reflectors 18 and 19, below which there is a lamp 20, whilesuspended from the lower portion of the sign is a sheet metal sign 21bent over a rod 22 so that it presents two characters for illuminationby the lamp 2(), and in order to increase the sidewalk lighting efiect alamp 23 is supported between the two sides of the inverted V shaped sign21, suitable screws 24 being used to connect the socket to the sign 21.

llt will be understood that the lighting effect of this sign is the sameas the previous one, since in no event do the lights shine directly intothe eyes of the observer and therefore do not kill the efi'ect of thesign as a transparency.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as followsmodifications within the scope of the claims being expressly reserved:

1. In an illuminated sign, a sign body, a lamp located within said bodyto illuminate a character carried thereby, a lamp below the first lampto illuminate the sidewalk below the sign, and means intercepting therays from the latter light when the sign is observed at some'distancehorizontally therefrom.

2. In an illuminated sign, a sign body, a translucent character carriedthereby, a concealed light to illuminate said translucent character, areflector below the lamp to direct the light from said lamp through'thecharacter, and another light upon the opposite side of said reflectorfrom said first lamp for illuminating the sidewalk below the sign.

3. In an illuminated sign, a sign body, a. translucent character carriedthereby, a lamp within the sigfi body to illuminate the character, areflector to direct the'light from said lamp through the character, andanother light adjacent said reflector so placed that the rays therefromwill strike the opposite side of the reflector and illuminate thesidewalk below'the sign.

4. In an illuminated sign, a sign body having translucent characters onboth faces thereof, a lamp within the sign, a pair of reflectors adaptedto throw the rays of light from said lamp through the characters, andanother light between the two reflectors and from which reflectors therays are reflected to the sidewalk.

5. In an illuminated sign, a sign body, translucent characters carriedthereby, a lamp within the sign body to illuminate the characters, areflector within the sign body to assist in the illumination of thecharacters, a second sign suspended from the lower portion of the firstsign body, and a second lamp within the first sign upon the oppositeside of the reflector from the first lamp and cooperating with thereflectorto illuminate the sign suspended from the first sign body.

6. In an illuminated sign, a sign body, a lamp therein, translucentcharacters carried thereby, an inverted V-shaped sign supported from thelower edge of the first sign body, a lamp within the sign body toilluminate characters placed on the outside of the inverted V shapedsign, and another lamp between the sides of the inverted V shaped Signto illuminate the sidewalk.

n testimony whereofI have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of OctoberA. D. 1914, in the presence of the two subscribed witnesses.

JOSEPH HOTCHNER. Witnesses:

. C. P. GRIFFIN,

L. H. ANDERSON.

